[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22919]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  HONORING THE LIFE OF STANLEY FOSTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Otter). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to 
Stanley E. Foster, who passed away in San Diego this week. Stan Foster 
was a giant in our community and a dear friend to all who knew him. As 
one of his many friends, I mourn his passing, but I also want to take a 
moment to celebrate his life and share with my colleagues the inspiring 
story of this great American.
  Stan was born in Portland, Oregon, the son of an immigrant from the 
Ukraine. After graduating from the University of Washington, he went 
into the furniture business in Portland. He moved to San Diego in 1954 
and joined his in-laws' family business. He later bought a small 
sportswear company known as Hang Ten, which he turned into a wildly 
successful business and a major label known around the world.
  After doing so well, Stan spent most of his life doing good. He was 
one of San Diego's leading philanthropists and civic leaders, involved 
in every aspect of our community's civic, cultural, and spiritual life. 
His causes were many, his influence and his impact, profound.
  I had the pleasure of getting to know Stan through our shared 
involvement in three of his great passions: gun safety, interfaith and 
intercultural understanding, and the arts.
  In the midst of a busy life, Stan made a long and concerted effort to 
stem gun violence, first as the founder of San Diegans Against Handgun 
Violence, and later as National Vice Chairman of Handgun Control. As a 
member of the California legislature, I worked closely with Stan to 
increase gun safety in California. He was a tireless advocate, who knew 
how to bring people together and how to get things done.
  Stan and I also served together on the Board of the National 
Conference for Community and Justice, an interfaith organization 
dedicated to community peace and understanding. We traveled together to 
``Anytown,'' NCCJ's youth camp, which brings together young people from 
diverse backgrounds for an intense session of training in tolerance.
  In traveling to ``Anytown'' with Stan and sharing his experience, I 
saw how deeply he cared not only about the big issues, but also about 
individuals. I was always impressed by the way that this very 
successful businessman spent countless hours with young people, 
encouraging them to engage in understanding one another and the world 
around them.
  As a long-time supporter of San Diego's Museum of Contemporary Arts, 
I am grateful to Stan and his wife Pauline for their Herculean efforts 
to establish this museum as a major cultural institution. Stan recently 
stated that he had not missed a MoCA fund-raiser in 25 years, and I am 
sure that this year's event, chaired by his wife Pauline, will be 
remembered as a sterling tribute to his memory.
  Stan Foster will be dearly missed by his devoted family and by 
thousands of others whose lives he touched and enriched.




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